Deepak's Musings #145: Have you heard of Uncrustables?

Teens ❤️ Nike

Author

Deepak Shahdadpuri
April 29, 2024

I am interested in all things consumer and insurgent brands. In my newsletter, I share what I read, think about, and reflect upon. You can follow me on Twitter at @dishahdadpuri or DSG Consumer Partners at @dsgcp.

p.s. You can click any summary link to read the full article from its source.

SaladStop’s Frantz Braha, Katherine Desbaillets-Braha and Adrien Desbaillets

⚕️ Consumers’ relationship with healthcare is changing

Consumers spend more on health and wellness but are unsatisfied and want more innovation.

Consumers rule: Driving healthcare growth with a consumer-led strategy

Consumers increasingly expect a positive healthcare experience along the end-to-end care journey. Only companies that provide one will grow and thrive.

🩲 Alia Bhatt X Superbottom

Alia Bhatt shares why she invested in SuperBottoms on CNBC.

👩🏻‍🍳 Portfolio spotlight: Veeba & India’s growing appetite for sauces and condiments

Two great recent interviews featuring Viraj Bahl, founder of Veeba. The first with CNBC-TV18's Aishwarya Anand. In the second, Viraj speaks to NDTV’s Sesa Sen. Viraj chats about the company’s journey from inception, his failure as a restauranter, India’s growing appetite for sauces and condiments and the company’s plans for the future.

🥫 Kraft Heinz rebrands products to make them more relevant to today’s consumer

Mio’s shakeup builds on a series rebrands from Kraft Heinz that kicked off with a reassessment of its portfolio several years ago following steep write-downs. Brands that have received a refresh since then include Jell-O, Ore-Ida, Kraft Singles and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

Kraft Heinz rebrands Mio liquid concentrate

The CPG giant teamed with branding agency BrandOpus on its latest social media-friendly packaging makeover.

🥾 Dr Martens vs Birkenstock

Two footwear companies have similar financials: ~$1-1.5Bn revenue, 38% cost of goods, 23-24% EBITDA margins. And yet, Birkenstock is valued at 10x Dr Martens.

Diary of 2 Brands: Dr Martens and Birkenstock

Using the Brand Growth Model of (1) definition and (2)scaling to understand better what is working and what is not.

✔™ Teens ❤️ Nike

There is some interesting data here. The Piper Sandler "Taking Stock With Teens" survey for Spring 2024 shows that athleisure continues to be popular among teens.

Athleisure is top dog in the teen closet: Here’s what the numbers say

While the cohort’s spending is down, clothing remains a popular purchase. 

📈 Have you heard of Uncrustables?

From $1Mn in revenue in 1999 to $1Bn by 2026. What a journey. I have to be honest, I did not know much about this product till recently but a masterclass in building a brand.

Uncrustables are on track to become a billion-dollar business

Since acquiring “Incredible Uncrustables” back in 1998 from two North Dakota dads, consumer giant J.M. Smucker Co. has made even more incredible returns on their $1 million bet, as the brand sold nearly $700 million worth of crustless sandwiches last year.

🥗 SaladStop Group’s back scoop

SaladStop has over 70 outlets across Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and Thailand. But it started way back in 2009 with their first outlet. Here is the back scoop!

SaladStop!: The founding story of Asia’s largest healthy food chain

A father and son duo wanted to bring a new, healthy yet tasty approach to fast food in Singapore.

📰 Select funding & deal news

Funding and deal news that caught my attention this week

Gen Z Beauty Brand Experiment Relaunches with $1 Million in Funding

AWAKE Secures CAD $5M Investment and Ramps Up Distribution, Seeking to ‘Lead the Evolution of Chocolate 3.0’

On the heels of significant distribution gains in both the U.S. and Canada, caffeinated chocolate brand AWAKE has closed a CAD$5 million (approximately $3.6 million USD) follow-on funding round from Btomorrow Ventures.

Reply

or to participate.